London Calling

Well, tonight I made a very quick decision to follow the hub to London next week. Not only that, but I made the decision to take the kid with us! (It didn't help matters when he began to cry and say "Don't go mom--without me!" How can a mother say no to a face like that?)

So we went on Orbitz and just did it. Out of the blue, in a matter of 15 minutes, we had airline tickets to London. Man, I'm getting bad in my old age.

It all started this morning when the hub called and told me about a trip forming to London and perhaps Geneva. (Geneva later got dropped--boo hiss.) You know me, I'm always ready to go to Europe. He never has to ask if I want to go, he knows the answer to that question without even thinking. I told him we'd talk about it when he got home and didn't give another thought. Well, as soon as he walked in the door, he brought it up. We went online to get an idea of air fare and found a fantastic deal. The kid walked in at that precise moment and asked what we're doing. As soon as I mentioned that we were going to London, the tears began to well up in his eyes. Oh my gosh. The heartstrings....the heartstrings being tugged-ouch. We thought for a moment, "Hmmm, he only has two weeks left of school, could it be that bad in taking him out for four days? You know, they've already finished all their testing and probably aren't doing a whole lot." We tried to contact his teachers, not one to be found. So a very quick decision was made. The kid was going too. We thought about the teenager going--for about a second. hehe....just kidding. He has exams so he can't go. He doesn't even want to go! Can you imagine not wanting to go to London? Gee whiz.

So it's him and mom to fend for themselves for five days. They've done it before. What an experience that was. The last time we went to London (and yes, we took the kid), the teenager stayed home with my mom. She had only been living with us for about two months when the trip came up. Poor mom was a little unsettled then and got totally depressed when I left. Poor teenager had to take care of her--literally take care of her--while we were gone. He was so worried about her because she wouldn't eat and wouldn't get out of bed. I couldn't believe it. She had never been like that before! Thank goodness, as soon as I got home, she was fine. To this day, I feel so bad about it; but I truly had no idea that she would miss me so much. Thank God she's much more independent now. She has her own place, her own dog, everything she could want. She's fine on her own when we go to New York and such, so I feel better about leaving those two this time. I worry more about the teenager being home without us than her. ha. Thank goodness he now works on the weekends! No time to get into trouble! (Yea, right.)

And so, we're off to London next week. I can hardly believe it. Sigh. So much to do!!! Now, I need to ask if anyone out there has ideas on a good hotel to stay in that won't cost a fortune. Wow. With the exchange rate, it's hard to find a good hotel under $300 a night! OUCH. So, please, any ideas??

Oh. I do hate when I make rash decisions like this. Now I'm second guessing myself--which I shouldn't, I know. The teenager is laughing at me and my anxiety attack. He assures me that everything will be fine. It does make me feel better, him telling me that. (He is probably already planning the party.)

Note to self: Frankie vets